by Christy Heitger-Ewing / photobs by Adam Gibson
Indiana Design Center’s newest showroom housing Franklin Window & Door and Lorenzo Finestre offers a luxury experience to all who visit.
Oftentimes when people step inside the Franklin Window & Door showroom located in the Indiana Design Center, they wonder what’s for sale.
“Even though the whole showroom is full of doors and windows, it’s not overpowering,” says interior designer Emily Hassett. “It’s designed to feel more like an art gallery.”
Cori and Scott Brown, owners of Franklin Window & Door, named the showroom the Glass House Gallery, and it houses both Franklin Window & Door as well as their other company, Lorenzo Finestre, which features European windows, doors and other luxury architectural products. Cori and Scott had a specific vision for the 1,900 sq. ft. space, dividing it into several vignettes, including one that’s devoted to their Italian designs and another that features creations from the Netherlands.
“This is not your typical window & door showroom,” says Cori. “Our clients enjoy a luxurious experience each time they visit.”
As clients shop the store sipping on a glass of wine or an espresso, they can peruse countless specialty window & door options as well as Italian lighting and unique interior & exterior hardware (aka: “door jewelry”).
“People get almost giddy over the fact that they can fully customize hardware at an affordable price,” says Emily.
Owners of the Glass House Gallery, Cori and Scott Brown, have brought European products typically only offered in design hubs like Miami, New Year and LA to Central Indiana.
The company’s primary work involves new construction projects and large-scale remodels on luxury residential properties. Homeowners can actually visualize the scale of what products will look like in their new home as the Glass House Gallery displays products that are 8 ft. 9 ft., and even 10 ft. tall.
A PERSONALIZED AND ACCELERATED PROCESS
When homeowners come into the showroom with their builders, architects, and designers, they engage in a group conversation about their plans and overall design for their home. The Franklin Window & Door team then comes alongside to share how their products can be incorporated into the client’s vision. The Franklin Window & Door team, which consists of an interior designer, CAD (computer aided design) specialists, and other experts in the industry, holds collaborative meetings with homeowners and their project team so that drawings and designs can be adjusted live and changes can be evaluated by the client in real time.
“I can’t tell you how many times a homeowner goes into their selections meeting and stuff gets changed. It might then take a week or two to get those changes back,” says Cori. “We can make live changes in-house so our clients can actually make decisions at the time of the meeting and see if they like the decisions they’re thinking of making. I don’t know of another company in our industry that provides that collaborative team approach for their clients.”
Doing so speeds up the closing process and avoids the delays of waiting on the architect or the designer to turn the prints around.
“We can get them from start to finish a month faster than anybody else,” says Scott.
AN IMPRESSIVE IN-PERSON EXPERIENCE
It’s also helpful to be able to meet at the Indiana Design Center for collaborative sessions because exploring products in-person makes a much bigger impact. Tim Forsyth II, CAD Specialist at Franklin Window & Door, notes that their showroom displays a number of bells & whistles that don’t catch the attention of a homeowner until the team points them out because they are “hidden” or minimalistic in nature.
“Homeowners don’t realize what’s available to them until we show them,” says Tim. For example, the showroom has a door that pockets into the wall. Typically, it would be a sliding door that slides to one side. This one, however, tucks away out of sight into the wall.
“That often raises an eyebrow or two,” says Tim. “There’s a recessed screen in the wall that you don’t notice until you pull it out and then people are like, ‘Oh, wow!’”
In addition, they carry casement windows that can be flipped around and cleaned from the inside.
“We have a European steel display that houses a casement window and door, and unless you really stare, most people don’t even realize the door and window are part of the wall unit,” says Cori. “It has such narrow sitelines you don’t even see them.”
J.R. Fowler, General Manager and Trade Specialist, notes that one of the advantages of this showroom is that they have created an area where builders feel comfortable bringing their clients for their own meetings.
“We let them know that they can use this space. It’s been helpful from a sales process to better our relationship with the industry,” says J.R., noting that following their collaborative meetings, builders often will remain with their client for an additional hour or two to continue their conversation. “This space really is designed to be a tool and a resource for our partners, builders, remodelers, architects, and designers.”
GUIDED DECISION MAKING WITH THE EXPERTS
When homeowners are making selections, Cori stresses the importance of not getting caught up in trends but rather make sure one’s choices are conducive to their lifestyle.
“For instance, do you tend to open your windows or keep them closed and run the air conditioning? These are factors that are important to discuss to ensure that you build your home in the way you’re going to live,” says Cori. “If you don’t, you’re going to be miserable.”
That’s why they tailor every meeting to each individual, asking them how they live, what they like and what they envision. Then they design doors and windows to provide the functionality necessary for each particular client.
Interestingly, until people started experiencing the Franklin Window & Door process of inclusion, collaboration, and communication, many clients who were building a home glazed over the window selection process.
“They would just pick out a color and then whatever was drawn on the elevation is what they got,” says Scott. “Now they have the opportunity to come in and design their windows and doors around their lifestyle and their taste. They had no idea that was an option before.”
Visit Franklin Window & Door’s Glass House Gallery at the Indiana Design Center in Carmel or online at FranklinWindowAndDoor.com to experience all they have to offer for yourself.
